Description: Adults average from 30-55 inches (76-140 cm), record 74 inches (188 cm). Adults are thick bodied and may be greenish, brownish, or orangish, with no real distinctive markings other than dark speckling. The belly is unpatterned but light-colored, with a faint pattern beneath the tail. The head is large, with a scale between the eye and the scales on the upper lip. The scales are keeled and there are 27-29 dorsal scale rows at midbody. The pupil is round. Juvenile color is similar to that of adults.

A. Top of the headB. Underside of the head (chin and throat)C. Elongated scales below the tail (subcaudal scales) are typically dividedD. Front (face view) of the headE. Side of the headF. Keeled scales

Range: The Florida Green Water Snake is found throughout most of Florida, excluding the Florida Keys. Outside of Florida, it occurs into southern Georgia, and in a disjunct population in southeastern South Carolina.

Comments:HARMLESS (Non-Venomous). Like all other Water Snakes, the Florida Green Water Snake is commonly mistaken for the venomous Cottonmouth. The Cottonmouth is usually darker and will typically open its mouth as a warning display, showing the bright white interior of its mouth.

It feeds on frogs, tadpoles, salamanders, and fishes. It is live-bearing. Breeding takes place from March-June. Almost all large adults (over 3.5 feet in length) are females. When gravid, females can become quite large and thick. Litters, usually around 20-30 and up to more than 100, are born from June-September.